Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe -Japan’s longest-serving premier and a figure of enduring influence died after he was shot during a campaign event Friday.

The attack shocked a nation where political violence and guns are rare. Abe, 67, was shot from about 3 meters away with what appeared to be a homemade firearm in the western city of Nara as he was giving a campaign speech for his ruling Liberal Democratic Party.

Video and images from the scene showed the former premier collapsing to the ground, with blood on his shirt, after two blasts. The suspect was identified by local media as a 41-year-old local man who was a veteran of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force.

The man told police he intended to kill Abe because he was frustrated with the former premier.